George Saunders on the Price of Dreams

How does anyone afford to have children? That’s a question the Sugars receive in this week’s episode from a woman who calls herself Broke Potential Mother.

To answer, Cheryl Strayed shares her own story of supporting a family while also pursuing her passions. Then she calls someone who helped her navigate this terrain: her friend and mentor, George Saunders.

He describes a “crossroads moment” in his own life, before he was a best-selling author, when he was piecing together a writing career with a young family to support: “Either I’m going to do the starving artist route and make these kids suffer or I’m going to suck it up and find in myself the potential to go into a job that I wouldn’t have dreamed of taking a year ago.”

He chose the latter — and found that the practical choice actually benefited his craft. His office surroundings were fodder for his art. “These are human beings trying to better their lot,” he thought of his coworkers. “That’s got to be the stuff of literature.”

New episodes of “Dear Sugars” are released weekly. You can also read the Sugars’ advice in their Styles column, The Sweet Spot. Do you have a question for the Sugars? Email dearsugars@nytimes.com.

How do I listen?

If you don’t see an audio player on this page or to subscribe to ‘Dear Sugars’ for free, follow the instructions below.

On your iPhone or iPad:

Open the preloaded app called Podcasts; it has a purple icon. If you’re reading this from your phone, tap this link, which will take you straight there. (You can also use the magnifying glass icon to search; type “Dear Sugars.”)

Once you’re on the series page, you can tap on the episode title to play it, and tap on the “subscribe” button to have new episodes sent to your phone free.

Or if you prefer another podcast player, you can find “Dear Sugars” there. (Here’s the RSS feed.)

On your Android phone or tablet:

You can listen and subscribe using the free app RadioPublic, which is available worldwide. If you’re reading this from your phone, tap this link to play the latest episode and learn more about the app.

Or if you prefer another podcast player, you can find “Dear Sugars” there. (Here’s the RSS feed.)

From a desktop or laptop:

Click the “play” button above to start the show. Make sure to keep that window open on your browser if you’re doing other things, or else the audio will stop. You can always find the latest episode at nytimes.com/dearsugars.